Peach Festival

``Peach Festival'' is a day of celebration especially for girls.

This is the season when the snow begins to melt in the refreshing sunshine.

``Joshi no Sekku'' is called ``Peach Festival'' because it is celebrated around the time when peach blossoms begin to bloom.
Doll's Festival is a day when families with girls decorate dolls and pray for their healthy growth and happiness.

Since ancient times, Hina dolls have been said to be used as yorishiro to take care of disasters and illnesses, and families with girls have used them to express their wishes for ``avoiding misfortune'' or ``to have happiness in life.'' The desire to pray for growth and happiness has created history and has become today's celebratory culture and festival.

What is the first seasonal festival?

The celebration of the first seasonal festival refers to the first seasonal festival that occurs once in a lifetime.
It is a traditional event/ceremony similar to ``Omiyamairi'' and ``Okitome.'' The family gathers around a celebratory meal and celebrates with gratitude for being born and hopes for healthy growth in the future.


Girls born in January or February will be celebrating the Peach Festival soon after they are born. In such cases, celebrations are held one after the other, which can put a strain on the newborn baby and the mother. Unlike other celebratory events, the unique feature of the first annual festival is that there is no guideline on the day of birth.
It's a good idea to think about when to hold your baby's first annual festival, based on whether your baby has already completed the first ritual, the shrine visit. If the first festival comes before the shrine visit, many children celebrate their first festival after they turn one year old. Cultures and ways of celebrating differ depending on the region, such as celebrating according to the lunar calendar, so it is a good idea to discuss this with your family.

Learn about the Peach Festival

Peach Festival... Kamishi Festival (March 3rd)


 ``Sekku'', which means a seasonal turning point, has long been said to be a time when evil spirits are likely to invade, and the culture has been passed down through various years and wisdom. Since ancient times, Japanese customs have been known as ``Misogiharai'' and ``Hitogata'' to ward off evil spirits. It was associated with customs to exorcise evil spirits, such as purifying one's body and holding banquets in the imperial palace.
In the Heian period, a festival was held every year in which a shaman was called to offer prayers, dolls were stroked to ward off bad luck, and offerings were prepared and floated into the water. It has become the roots of

Also during the Heian period, girls from the upper class had a popular practice called ``Hiina Asobi,'' or ``playing house'' using paper dolls and toys made to resemble household items. Such scenes also appear in essays and stories from the time. Around the Muromachi period, the upper classes began displaying dolls, and March 3rd was the day of the festival.

In the Edo period, the Doll's Festival was introduced as an event in the imperial court. It was also adopted in the Ooku of the Shogunate.

Meanwhile, around this time, the Doll's Festival spread to common people, and a form of celebrating girls' first festival by decorating them with dolls was born. In the early Edo period, there were a pair of dairi hina dolls, but in the middle of the Edo period, tiered decorations appeared, and the number of hina dolls and accessories, including three court ladies, increased.

When do you start decorating the Hina dolls?

　

　

From around February 4th to around February 19th

First day of spring - rainwater

It is generally said that it is displayed from the end of the 24th seasonal period, ``the first day of spring'' to ``the time of rain.''

"Rainwater" is the time when falling snow turns into rain and the snow begins to thaw. The snow that has piled up on the mountains also melts into rivers, watering the fields.

It is also said that it is good to display it on February 3rd, Setsubun (Setsubun is the time to exorcise demons), on days when the weather is good after opening ``Risshun'' the next day, or in conjunction with ``Daian''. As can be seen from the history of the Hinamatsuri, Hina dolls are said to be an ``water-related event,'' and this comes from the idea that dolls carrying bad luck were thrown into the water. Hina dolls go well with Hina dolls during the rainy season, when water is plentiful, and it was believed that displaying them at that time would bring good luck.

Among the questions we receive is, ``Is it okay to decorate from January?''
Some people think that it is bad luck because it corresponds to Mitsukigake.

◆What is “Sangatsukake”? ◆

Some people believe that if it lasts for three months, it is bad luck, saying, ``You will learn the hard work from beginning to end.'' It is said that the reason for this is due to the word play. Similarly, the 49-day period, which spans three months, is abhorred not only at Buddhist services but also at ceremonial occasions, as it is considered bad luck, as it is said that ``one must endure hardships all the time.''

However, as mentioned at the beginning, it is a play on words, and is thought to convey the meaning of "don't be too late." There are some regions that celebrate festivals according to the lunar calendar, so there is no need to worry about ``Sangatsukake.''

Who will give the dolls?

Hina dolls are usually given as gifts from the mother's parents (grandparents) . In recent years, the number of couples who do not do betrothal ceremonies has increased, but in the past in Japan, it was common practice for the bride's family to provide dowry money and the bride's family to provide dowry tools. Therefore, in addition to Hina dolls, most of the decorations used to celebrate children's growth, such as the best clothes for shrine visits, bows, battledores, carp streamers, and flags, were treated as wedding accessories.

◆With the changing times◆

In recent years, with the trend towards nuclear families and changes in lifestyles, an increasing number of parents are thinking flexibly and not being too particular about traditions. In some cases, both families share money, in other cases the man provides the money, and in other cases, the man himself provides the money to purchase the item without relying on his parents.